Let’s consider the following situation: you’ve never been too much into sports and physical activities, you’re not interested in sports at all, and as a consequence, neither your body’s shape, nor your physique are the most perfect ones. However, the benefits of the physical workouts became more obvious to you as the time passed by. So you decide to hit the gym. But be ready – the first workout in a gym will likely strike you self-esteem really hard.

It is the physical traits and skills, which are valued in a gym in the first place. Probably you are a mighty egghead in your routine life, the winner of various math and literature championships. Maybe, your jokes are witty and unforgettable, so even the best comedians of the country envy you. However you should realize, that all the above isn’t that important in a gym. Most likely your physical parameters will be worse in comparison with ones of those people from a gym, who have been exercising regularly for a long period of time. Nevertheless, try not to oppose the others. You’ve come here to join, not to compete with them.

Probably you may be confused with the comments, which some of the gym’s frequenters address you. They may look abusive and humiliating. But don’t let it to affect your self-esteem. Be sure, that the most of the people do not set a goal to somehow insult you, even in their minds. It’s just a reaction to your appearance in a gym, an attempt to build communication, to get acquainted with you. Try to treat those comments impartially.

You may feel uncomfortable at the first training. Your mind may start generating trappy thoughts like “What am I doing here?” and “Who needs it at all?” However, at that most moment remind yourself, that that was your decision – to attend the gym – that means, there were some reasons to do it, that was necessary. Do not rush to escape.

Try to lower the significance of the event as you go to exercise for the first time. It isn’t a secret, that if you’re going to act on something, what is very important to you, you become rather stressed and nervous. You are likely to be controlled by your emotions and not your mind. That’s doesn’t make things better. Try to relate to this event as to some ordinary thing, as to something that happens every day, here and there in your life. Consider, that you’ve come simply to gaze, as you would’ve come into a mall to take a look, without any intention to buy something.

If you decide to enroll in some kind of the sports section, where the group is taught by a coach (for example, martial arts), it may seem, that the coach is ignoring you during the class. It is so due to the fact that the percentage of people dropping classes after one or two of trainings is very high. Be patient: after two or three trainings, the teacher will notice you: he/she will start pointing out the mistakes you make and demonstrating the right technique to you. A couple years ago, I started to take the karate classes: the coach almost didn’t pay any attention to me at the first training. However, in a week, he started address me by my name and to pay me the same amount of attention as he did to the other frequenters.

December 29th, 2011